Sweet Cheater - Minsung

Chapter 35

The second they came back home, Chan felt the sudden urge to take care of his friend. He cooked for him, helped him walk around the house, and even helped him when he had to take showers, but Minho started slumping.

Minho went to his room first thing first, struggling to walk there with his braces, no words leaving his mouth as Chan walked him, seeing the defeated expression he didn't stop wearing.

Chan saw how his expression decomposed back then at the hospital. He saw how much Minho's heart broke at the sudden news. He saw how he had been letting himself rot in his room for the last days.

It was hard to watch, and he tried so much to talk to him, to help him, but Minho wanted none of it. He would answer simple things and would lay in his room, staring at the ceiling as if he wasn't even there. He would skip his dad's calls, and Chan tried to reason with him, but to no avail.

"What do you want to eat?" Chan asked, as soon as he heard Minho leaving his room, trying to sound as if everything was normal.

Minho didn't answer. As he was used to since he came back from the hospital.

"Minho?" He called again, as the latter finally looked at him "What do you want to eat?" He asked again, smiling, trying to sound enthusiastic for him.

"anything is alright" He muttered, as he hardly 'walked' to his room, with the help of his braces.

"You want to cook with me?" He asked, a bit louder, but he simply heard the door of Minho's room closing as an answer.

It started to get complicated to handle him. Chan tried so hard.

"Minho, get up, come on" He pleaded, trying to pull the covers out of him.

"No, it's okay" He mumbled

"Let's watch some TV" Chan asked, smiling brightly at him

"..."

"Want to eat with me?" He asked, trying to prepare a huge feast that Minho would love.

"okay" He answered, lowly and weakly.

"How are you feeling?" Chan asked, standing beside his bed as he caressed the boy's hair.

"..."

"Do you need help to call the insurance? I can stay with you"

"it's okay"

"Does it hurt?" Chan asked as he was helping the boy changing.

"no, it's okay" He responded, as he hid the wince that overcame him.

"Do you need something?" Chan asked when he got back home, opening his door and watching a silent Minho, eyes fixated on the ceiling.

"..."

Chan didn't know how to deal with it. He didn't know what to do or say to help him. It became even more complicated when the doctors called Minho.

"We can go together as you want" Chan said softly, sitting on his bed as he tried to convince the boy.

"..."

"Minho... If you don't do that diagnostic, we won't be able to know if your leg can have surgery or not" He nagged a bit, knowing that Minho wasn't motivated at all. He was deeply scared and he couldn't let his friend like that.

"..."

"If you do, you'll dance again! It'll be as if nothing happened!" Chan cheered, trying to motivate his friend "I know there is some risk it won't work, but it's a chance! It's better to have some hope then to let yourself rot in here!" He nagged again, this time a bit more loudly, making Minho wince at the volume.

It was his last hope. Minho was able to have surgery, the only thing he needed to do was go back to the hospital and do a few analyses. But he hasn't answered anything. He didn't answer his dad when he called, he didn't say anything to the doctors and he wouldn't talk with Chan about it. He refused completely, shutting himself down and ignoring it.

Chan got it. Minho was protecting himself from further pain, he wouldn't bear with it anymore, but at what cost? Chan couldn't agree with that, so he would insist, again and again, praying for his friend to take care of himself.

"Chan" Minho interrupted him, not even looking at him "Can you leave my room, please?" He gently asked, his voice not above a whisper, as he pleaded for calm... for peace.

"Okay..." Chan said, feeling devastated that nothing he could do would help him "Tell me if you need anything" He added, before standing up and leaving the room.